With cooler temperatures upon us, our restoration work has moved indoors. Unlike last year at Moraine, our new hangar offers a much more comfortable environment, making the longer drive to the restorer’s home airport a small price to pay. Winter’s chill may change the pace, but it hasn’t stopped progress on the Aeronca Chief project.
Preparations Before Welding
The Chief will head to the welder shortly after the New Year. Until then, we’re meticulously inspecting the airframe to identify any issues. Our restorer suspects the Chief may have experienced a ground loop—an event that often occurs when a tailwheel airplane veers uncontrollably during taxiing, landing, or takeoff. Evidence supporting this theory includes a bent right longeron and damage to the rudder, which may indicate the aircraft flipped over during its previous flying days.
Before welding, ensuring structural integrity is crucial. The restorer has checked the gear legs and believes they are straight, but we will still confirm the condition both the legs and of the attach points. These must be equidistant from the center of the aircraft and on the same plane to avoid control issues during ground operations.
Evaluating the Fuselage and Parts
The fuselage will be the first major focus since it’s a more time-intensive and delicate part of the restoration. As we removed parts like doors and trim, the restorer muttered, “It’s dusty, but it sure ain’t that rusty.” A positive sign!
Closer inspection of the frame under better lighting revealed no kinks or significant damage, and the restorer is overall pleased with its condition. We plan to clean the frame with mineral spirits between Christmas and New Year’s for an even more thorough examination.
The left-side door requires repair, and the outer skin may need replacement, depending on weld quality. Patterns for the wooden sections of the fuselage must also be found to make new sections and prepare for eventual re-covering.
A Nod to the Past
Seeing the Chief in its remnants of green and white color scheme mom and her friends painted feels like a warm embrace from the past. While their scheme was not how it left the factory, we are finding more evidence that it was originally green with the green paint on the trim handle and window moldings suggesting the Chief likely left the factory in a green scheme.
Aeronca’s reputation for accommodating requests has been mentioned by several Aeronca friends though it would be great to find documentation of the original scheme we may never actually know. In the meantime having a connection to my mom and her friends, who restored the Chief in its earlier years gives another reason to return it to flight.
Tackling the Rudder and Tail Assembly
The rudder and one stabilizer need repairs and may accompany the fuselage to the welder. If the rudder can’t be salvaged, a replacement will be necessary. Temporary reassembly of the tail is planned after priming and painting to determine the correct turnbuckle placement and cable lengths. The original trim tab control handle, coated in green paint, appear to be factory-issued—another small but meaningful detail.
Challenges of Ground Operations
Restoring a tailwheel aircraft like the Chief comes with its own set of challenges. Unlike tricycle gear planes, tailwheel aircraft require more attention during taxiing, takeoff and landing. Ground loops are a known risk, particularly with planes that have undergone poor repairs.
The restorer suspects the Chief’s reputation for being more challenging to handle on the ground stems from such issues.
However, after a closer look under more intense light, the gear legs show no signs of buckling, and the fuselage frame doesn’t exhibit telltale kinks from flipping over. Perhaps the Chief’s prior mishaps were less severe than initially suspected.
Looking Ahead
Each day brings us closer to breathing new life into this aircraft. The restorer has already started planning for the next steps, such as fabricating wood patterns and preparing the cabin area.
While the discussion often centers around balancing time and money—thankfully, replacement parts are still available—we’re grateful for the opportunity to revive this piece of my family’s aviation history.
With steady progress and a little patience, the Chief will one day take to the skies again. For now, it’s all about tackling one step at a time and savoring the journey of restoration.
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